A community centre looks set to serve up a new sporting offer with the creation of three padel courts on a disused bowling green.

Everybody Health and Leisure has applied for permission to site the courts on land at Holmes Chapel Community Centre as can be seen in the planning application here

A planning statement submitted by CV Planning on behalf of the applicant, states: "The planning application site comprises of a broadly square grass landscaped area which is located immediately south of Station Road and east of the existing Holmes Chapel Community Centre buildings.

"The site has historically been utilised for the playing of bowls, however it is understood that this use ceased well over 12 years ago."

It adds: "The application proposals are brought forward in accordance with Everybody's overarching objectives to increase participation in sport and to improve the health and wellbeing of all residents within Cheshire East.

"The application proposals open up the rapidly growing sport of padel tennis to the wider community and respond to the increasing demand for the sport, as has been noted in the council's playing pitch and outdoor sport strategy published recently in January 2024."

Everybody Health and Leisure is a registered charity which operates several leisure centre and community facility sites across the borough, primarily on behalf of Cheshire East Council.

These include the community centre itself at Holmes Chapel, in addition to a fully equipped gym, spa area and café.

The planning document says the provision of padel courts at the facility has the potential to provide significant sporting and wider community benefits for the village in addition to securing an important further income-stream to support the community centre.

"The Lawn Tennis Association (LTA) states that padel is a form of tennis that is easy to play, fun and extremely sociable, that it is played mainly in doubles format on an enclosed court about the third of the size of a tennis court and can be played in groups of mixed ages and abilities," states the planning document.

It adds: "The addition of padel facilities at Holmes Chapel is a natural fit with the Everybody organisation and will help to significantly enhance the offer, given it is proposed to install courts at a number of locations across the borough.

"The facilities align with Everybody's objectives for health and there are clear sustainability and economic benefits through the introduction of a new facility at Holmes Chapel Community Centre."

The application, number 25/0402/FUL, can be viewed on the planning portal on the Cheshire East Council website.

The last date for submitting comments is March 12, 2025.